Le Sabre concept car
The General Motors Le Sabre was a 1951 concept car. Possibly the most important show car of the 1950s,[citation needed] it introduced aircraft-inspired design elements such as the wrap-around windshield and tail fins, which became common on automotive designs during the second half of the decade.
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History [edit]
The Le Sabre was the brainchild of General Motors Art Department head Harley Earl.[1] The design was Earl's attempt to incorporate the look of modern jet fighter aircraft into automotive design.[citation needed] As jets replaced prop-driven aircraft in the late 1940s, they symbolized the very latest in design and engineering, and Earl had hoped to carry this concept into automobile design.
The project was a follow-up to Earl's famous 1938 Y-job. Like all his projects, it was built to be roadworthy, and became Earl's personal automobile for two years after finishing its tour of the auto show circuit.[citation needed] With a body made of aluminium, magnesium, and fiberglass,[citation needed] it was powered by a supercharged 215 cu in (3.5 L) V8 able to run on gasoline (petrol) or methanol (like Indy roadsters of the period did), and had an unusually-placed rear-mounted Buick Dynaflow automatic transmission.[1] This was later changed to a GM Hydramatic.[1] In addition to its jet inspired design, the 1951 Le Sabre also featured numerous advanced features, including a 12-volt electrical system (most cars of the period were 6-volt), heated seats, electric headlights concealed behind the center oval "jet intake", front bumper dagmars[1] (later made famous on 1957-9 Cadillacs), a water sensor to activate the power top,[1] and electric lifting jacks integral to the chassis[1] to aid tire changes. (This idea would be copied decades later by Formula One race teams.)
The Le Sabre was GM's first use of a rear-mounted transmission, which would reappear in the Pontiac Tempest.[1] It was also the first use of the aluminum-block 215,[1] which appeared in the Buick Special and Skylark, Olds Cutlass F-85 and Jetfire, Pontiac Tempest and LeMans, and ultimately in numerous British marques, including Land Rover, Triumph, MG, and Morgan.
It was also GM's first use of the Le Sabre name,[1] which would be adopted by Buick for a new line in 1959.
Survivors [edit]
The Le Sabre is owned by the General Motors Heritage Museum, and still occasionally appears at car shows.
Reproductions [edit]
In 1999 the Franklin Mint introduced a 1:18 scale die cast reproduction on the 1951 Le Sabre. It became one of their best-selling automobile miniatures.[citation needed]
